


Acquaintance by Coincidence

by anonymouse_fiction



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Humor, Light Angst, Period Typical Attitudes, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-06
Updated: 2017-03-06
Packaged: 2018-09-30 01:25:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10149995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anonymouse_fiction/pseuds/anonymouse_fiction
Summary: A request fic from Tumblr. Some friendships are born of great circumstance, while others… not so much. As Ashei explores Castle Town by herself for the first time, she discovers she falls into the latter category, running into a friendship that will last a lifetime.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! Long time no fic, eh? Sorry about that; I needed a little bit of a break after finishing Home Is Where the Heart Is. As stated in the summary, this fic was requested by a nice anon on Tumblr. I hope you like it, dears!

_Dear Liam,_

_I do hope this letter finds you and little Ashei in good health. I know it hasn’t been long since my last letter, but I stumbled across a few rather interesting leads in my research. After taking the time to verify a few things, I’ve decided to follow them. However, my doing so will require the opinion of an expert in tracking… and you happen to be the only tracker of high repute I know._

_Due to the rather confusing nature of the leads and how they intertwine, I feel it would be best if we discussed them in person. If you have the time, I would greatly appreciate meeting up and discussing them with you before I go gallivanting off again._

_I assume the usual place, if you can entertain my wishes?_

_Best,  
Virgil_

‘For Din’s sake, Virgil. What have you dug up this time?’ Liam thought as he glanced over the letter one more time, shoulders tensing at the thought of yet another dangerous escapade for his friend to get involved in.

“U-um… sir?” A meek voice asked, causing Liam to turn to face it.

“Hrm? What?” Liam replied, his deep voice making the question come out more intimidating than he’d intended.

“Eek! I-I just, that is… your horse and cart have been boarded. Would you like to p-pay now or l-later?”

            Liam looked down to the unremarkable young man with a steady gaze, green eyes looking him over. He immediately noticed the young man was currently trembling in his boots, but he couldn’t blame him, honestly. Liam would be the first to admit that he could easily be mistaken for ‘a bear wearing people’s clothes’, as Telma had put it.

His tall, muscular frame was nothing to sneeze at, and his face wasn’t too friendly either. His stern countenance was mostly covered up by a thick black beard and moustache that reached just past his chin, and his ever-unruly hair was just barely tied back into a short ponytail that reached his shoulders. His attire didn’t help his case either, as he was wearing his boots, jeans, leather bracers, a leather brigandine with a red tunic underneath, and a satchel that was a bit larger than most. Lastly, the fact that his faithful arming sword hung from his waist in plain sight made it clear he was not a man to be taken lightly.

            Liam chuckled a bit and reached into the satchel, tossing the poor man a purple rupee. He struggled to catch it, nearly dropping it a few times before he got a good grip on it. Once he finally looked at the money in his hands, the young man’s face lit up with a smile.

“Keep the change, son. Consider it my thanks for serving us again, despite you being terrified of me, yeah?” Liam laughed, glad to see the young man’s shoulders drop in relief.

“Th-thank you so much! It’s always a pleasure to serve a faithful patron!”

“Now that that’s settled… ASHEI! WHERE IN DIN’S NAME DID YOU GET OFF TO?!” Liam boomed, startling the barn hand more than he’d intended to.

“I’m right here, father!” Ashei called from the top of a haystack in the barn.

            Liam smiled when he turned to see Ashei tumbling down from the top of it, giggling the whole while. His daughter had only recently turned ten, but more often than not she acted far older. It warmed his heart when he saw his little girl acting her age a bit more, but he decided to keep that to himself. Once she was at the bottom, he scooped her up and spun her around before coming to a stop. Ashei had squealed with delight the entire time, giving her father a big grin once she was safely stopped.

“Now what were you doing at the top of that haystack, hmm?” Liam asked as he set her down, picking a few stray hay straws from her short black pigtails.

“You were takin’ forever, so I figured I’d scope out the place. I could see all the way into the plaza from up there!” Ashei explained, dusting off her red jeans and lavender sweater, frowning a bit when she noticed hay straws sticking up from her own boots.

“Sure you’re not auditioning for the role of a scarecrow?” Liam teased, chuckling when Ashei stuck her tongue out at him.

“No more than you! You’ve got just as much hay in your beard now, yeah?” Ashei replied, giggling when her father looked down to his beard and huffed.

“So I do. Well, once we get cleaned up, I have some supplies to get. I know you said you wanted to look around Castle Town by yourself today, but I’m meeting with a friend who has a boy your age when I’m done. I was wondering if you’d like to meet him?” Liam asked as he plucked out the few hay straws tangled in his beard.

“I guess I could… but I’d rather go explore some today, if that’s ok.” Ashei said softly, not wanting to hurt her father’s feelings.

“Well, there’s always next time. Besides, there’s no telling if Virgil will even bring his boy along with him. Now, do you remember the rules we discussed on the way here?” Liam asked as he went to the cart and pulled Ashei’s training sword out for her.

“Yes sir! No talking to sketchy people or taking anything from them, use my training as a last resort, and be back at the gate by sunset!” Ashei answered as her father returned, taking her trusty wooden blade from him and attaching it to the belt around her waist.

“Good. Now, here’s a little something from me. Don’t spend it all in one place, yeah?” Liam said as he pulled a red rupee from his satchel and handed it to Ashei.

“Really?! Thanks, father! I’ll be back at the gate by sunset, promise!” Ashei replied, taking the rupee and stuffing it in her pocket before giving her father a hug and running out of the barn, waving over her shoulder as she took off.

“Nayru, they certainly grow up fast, huh?” the barn hand asked as Liam waved back, a hint of a fond smile showing through his beard.

“That they do, sir. That they do.”

\-----

 

             Castle Town was far larger than Ashei remembered it being from the last time she’d visited. As she wandered up the winding street from the stable, she couldn’t stop herself from looking around at everything. The lack of snow and wildlife was always something she found a bit jarring, but she was getting used to it the more her father let her accompany him on supply runs. Besides, the bright colors and boisterous sound all around her were far more intriguing than the stifling blankets of white snow she knew.

             It wasn’t long before she’d found her way to the central plaza of Castle Town, and she lit up immediately at the sight of the grand fountain flowing in the center. She ran up to it, eager to see the clear blue waters up close. As she did, the sound of metal striking against the paved street caught her attention. She watched with rapt attention as the castle guards came through the castle gates to start their midday patrol. The sunlight glinted off their armor as they marched, tall and proud, through the plaza before disappearing down one of the town’s many streets. Ashei grinned as she watched them leave, knowing that with enough work she’d be on their level one day.

“Man, I’m so glad we caught them today!”

“Yeah, normally we miss it!”

“Alright, enough talk. Let’s get back to it!”

            The excited conversation caught Ashei’s attention, causing her to turn towards the sound. She glanced over the plaza for a moment, trying to pin down where it came from. She listened more closely and was met with the sound of wood striking wood and cries from a pair of boys her age attacking a barrel. Knowing where to go now, Ashei decided to see if they would let her join in as well. With a little smile, she walked over to them, waiting for them to reach a pause before addressing them. It didn’t take long for the taller of the two to notice her and hold up his hand for the other to stop.

“Well, what have we here? Interested in our training?” the taller one asked, taking up a cocky stance. Ashei cocked her head a bit, confused as to why he was suddenly acting that way.

“Yeah! I overheard you two talking and realized you were sparring. I was wondering if I could join in for a bit; I have my own training blade!” Ashei explained as she drew the wooden sword from its place at her waist.

“Whoa, what the?! Who let a girl have a sword?!” The shorter one exclaimed, backing up a bit in surprise.

“My dad? He’s training me to be a swordsman.” Ashei said, giving the shorter boy an utterly baffled look for his surprise.

“Your dad is nuts, then! Everyone knows girls aren’t supposed to fight! You’ll just wreak that thing.” The taller one cut in, huffing as he glared at Ashei’s sword enviously.

“Uh, no I won’t! This blade is already two years old, and I plan on it lasting until I get a real blade! So, I’m making sure to take extra good care of it.” Ashei shot back, trying to keep her temper under control.

“Yeah right. You probably just stole it from your dad trying to look cool.” The shorter one piped up.

“I’d never steal from my father or anyone else! That’s against the Knight’s Code of Honor!” Ashei yelled back, getting angrier by the second.

“Ah, what do you know about knights? You’re just a girl!” the taller one chided.

“What’s my being a girl have to do with anything?! I can fight just as good as you, and I’ll be a knight someday, just like my dad!” Ashei shouted, trying to get her message across.

            Ashei felt her cheeks going red from trying to keep a cool head, but the boys mistook it for something else. The shorter one chuckled and nudged the taller, who immediately caught on to his idea. Both looked to Ashei and balled their fists against their cheeks, making it look like they were weeping.

“Oh, boo hoo! I’m just a girl who thinks she can play with the boys!” the shorter one started, making a mockingly sad face.

“I have to pretend I’m something I’ll never be instead of playing with dolls like I should!” the taller one added, both of them circling Ashei as they continued their jeers.

“Alright, y’know what? You think I can’t fight? Well, I’ll show you! You two have been wailing on that barrel for a while, yeah? Well, get ready to see it reduced to splinters.” Ashei growled, storming forward as the boys scrambled out of her way.

            Neither boy got a chance to protest as she drew her blade and raised it up and brought it down slowly. Ashei took a moment to center herself, eyes closed as she tried to drown out the unfamiliar noise and taunting. Immediately her mind went to training with her father in the blankets of white snow, of the targets that would pop out of the drifts without warning. Her eyes snapped open and her blade struck out true, striking the barrel hard and shattering it to pieces before the boy’s eyes.

“There, you see? I’m not foolin’ when I say I know how to use a sword, yeah? Now why don’t you to apologize for what you said? It’s what a knight would do; admitting their wrongs.” Ashei said with a smug grin, satisfied with the looks of shock on the boy’s faces.

“Nero, we gotta get outta here! That freak’ll kill us!” the taller one cried, knees knocking together from fear.

“Run, Brutus!” the shorter replied as he turned tail and ran, his friend fast on his heels.

            Ashei stood alone in stunned silence as she watched the pair run away. She wasn’t sure why, but a cold feeling washed over her and settled in her gut. She shuddered a bit, not liking the sensation one bit. Why had they run from her so suddenly? She’d only tried to show them that she could spar just as well as them. She bit her lip a bit, furrowing her brow as she tried to think of a reason they’d have acted like they did. Deciding they were really just cowards playing at knighthood, Ashei decided to leave the open part of the plaza, opting to look into the more store-heavy part.

            As Ashei milled along the storefronts, she couldn’t help but gawp at some of the more extravagant clothes the shops had to offer. The luxurious layers to some of the dresses made her wonder just how anyone could move in them, while others had so little she wondered if they were really dresses. But the colors made each garment look lovely in her eyes. They may not have been something she’d ever wear, but the inviting array of colors in the store window made her smile nonetheless.

             Just as she was turning to go look at a woodcrafter’s shop nearby, Ashei overheard a trio of girls that seemed her age talking about something in the window. Curious about what was so interesting, Ashei approached them, trying to see what they were so engrossed with. As she got closer, the tallest in the group noticed her and shushed the other girls in the group. Ashei had to admit, they all looked good wearing the latest sundresses the town had to offer, but she didn’t quite get why they had painted their faces to match the colors they wore.

“May we help you?” she asked, looking over Ashei.

“U-um… well, not so much help as tell me what’s so interesting, yeah?” Ashei answered, feeling a bit vulnerable as all the girls continued to examine her.

“Well, we just noticed a bit of… odd fashion choice and couldn’t help but discuss it.” The second tallest replied, cocking an eyebrow when her eyes fell on Ashei’s training blade.

“Really? What’s so odd about what’s in the window? It looks like what you’re wearing now.” Ashei asked again, feeling like she wasn’t getting the full story.

“At least she has a good eye, right girls?” the shortest cut in, trying not to laugh at Ashei’s obliviousness.

“Listen… we were talking about you. Most girls don’t wear pants if they can help it.” The tallest said, hoping to get the point across this time.

“Huh, really? But aren’t dresses inconvenient? You have all that extra weight around your legs, and you don’t even have pockets, yeah?” Ashei questioned further, hoping to get a clear answer.

“Well, that is true, but it’s simply not done!” the tallest replied snippily, not liking being questioned.

“But why? If you feel the same way, why not just wear pants and be done with it? It’s not like it’s wrong.” Ashei explained.

“Uh, it is wrong though. Only _boys_ wear pants.” The second tallest shot back, not liking Ashei questioning their fashion choices.

“But I’m a girl, and I’m wearing pants. I’ve worn them my whole life and my legs haven’t fallen off yet, yeah? It’s not like we can’t just because we’re girls.” Ashei tried again, sincerely baffled by their resistance to her point.

“Look, I don’t wanna be mean, but you obviously don’t get it. Only freaks and weirdos wear pants and pretend to be boys.” The shortest sighed, giving Ashei an admonishing look.

“I’m not pretending to be anything! I’m just me!” Ashei shot back.

“Well then, you’re just weird.” The shortest sneered as she looked away from Ashei.

“Said the girls wearing paint on their faces.” Ashei replied flatly, trying not to laugh at the sudden gasps of shock she got.

“I-it’s not _paint_ , you idiot! It’s makeup!” The tallest one stuttered, clearly offended.

“Looks like paint to me.” Ashei said with a little smirk.

“Girls, let’s just leave the freak to herself. She clearly doesn’t understand the art of being a lady.” The shortest one said, turning away to walk to another store.

            The other two quickly followed after her, with the second tallest even turning to stick her tongue out at Ashei as they walked away. Ashei balled up her fists and tried to ignore the cold feeling of hurt that was curling back up in her gut. Thinking it her best option, she decided to leave the plaza to look at the open-air market on the other side of town. Giving the dresses in the shopfront one last look, Ashei sighed.

‘Maybe I should have gone with father after all.’

\-----

            The afternoon sun shone overhead of the streets, casting soft rays of light onto the cobblestones below. Ashei appreciated the warmth on her, as it was a welcome treat compared to the colder weather back home. Judging from the street signs, Ashei guessed she was on the right path to the open-air market. She was honestly surprised just how many shops were in Castle Town to begin with. Some of the shops had caught her interest, mainly weapon shops, but the storekeepers wouldn’t let her in due to her age. She understood that, even if she felt like she was an exception, so she continued on her way.

            As she walked along the road, the reflection of a deep blue dress caught her eye. She paused, looking into the shop window at the dress. Surprisingly, it was a dress meant for a girl her age, with white lace trim, a white ruffed collar, and capped sleeves. Ashei moved so that her reflection was overtop the dress in the storefront, taking time to examine how she thought the dress looked on her. But the more she looked, the greater her discomfort grew. Instead of giving her a playful look, she felt it looked constricting and ill-fitting on her.

_“Only freaks and weirdos wear pants and pretend to be boys.”_

            The memory of the girls earlier taunting caused her to clench her fists and grit her teeth in anger. Who were they to call her weird? So what if she was a little different from them? What gave them the right to tease her like they had? Ashei huffed and turned on her heel, not paying attention to where she was walking as she went to storm off. Unfortunately, in doing so she ran right into someone carrying a massive stack of books.

            With an undignified squawk from both parties, Ashei fell back, landing flat on her rear end. Bewildered by the sudden trip to the ground, Ashei looked around the mess of books to see a pale boy around her age with a shock of red hair (and a stubborn curl of it right against his forehead) frantically looking for something. Ashei cocked her head, regarding his attire with a little smile. Wearing a purple vest with a white collared button-down shirt, a deep purple string bow tie, a pair of khaki pants, and argyle socks in a purple pattern and brown oxfords, he was dapper to say the least. What really got her grinning was when he found what he was looking for: a pair of round spectacles that looked just a bit too big for him. Indigo eyes met hers, and Ashei immediately felt bad for staring.

“I-I’m terribly sorry, miss! I’d no intention of running into you just now.” He stuttered, putting up his hands defensively. Ashei snorted.

“I don’t know why you’re apologizing to me; I ran into you.” Ashei replied as she stood up, pausing to dust herself off before she picked up one of the many books at her feet.

 “But still, I should have been paying more attention to where I was going, rather than focusing on balancing my books!” he replied, grabbing for books as quickly as he could and stacking them up from his place on the ground.

“Kid, I saw the books before I saw you. I’m surprised you didn’t run into a wall or something before me!” Ashei said with a laugh.

            The boy paused for a moment and looked up to her quizzically. Ashei held out a hand to him, and after a moment of regarding it, he took it. Ashei yanked him up as gently as she could manage, smirking as his eyes went a little wide at her show of strength.

“Thank you kindly, miss. I certainly hope none of my books hurt you. Some of them are a bit on the large side, and I dare say I wouldn’t fancy one coming down on _my_ head.” He said as he bent to pick up the small stack of books he started.

“Ah, don’t worry about it. I’m honestly impressed at how well you were moving around with them all.” Ashei confessed as she bent down to pick up books with him.

“With how crowded father’s workshop is, I’d have to have excellent spatial awareness to not break anything.” He replied, watching as Ashei helped him.

“What kind of awareness now?” Ashei asked, unaware of him watching her.

“Spatial awareness. Essentially, it’s how aware of one’s surroundings one is. Granted, that’s a gross oversimplification, but I digress.” He replied, offering Ashei a shy smile as she picked up the stack of books she’d made.

“Well, if it was me, I’d just say ‘how aware of your surroundings you are’, but then I’m not the one reading books called ‘An Artificer’s Guide to Magic Applied to Mechanical Engineering’, yeah?” Ashei said as she glanced at the title of the book on top of the stack.

            Ashei giggled a bit as the boy blushed and looked to the side out of discomfort. Fearing she’d hurt his feelings, Ashei moved a bit closer and bumped her shoulder against his. She was glad he looked to her again without so much of a blush.

“I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with you reading these books. Just that I’d never be able to wrap my head around something like these.” Ashei said, slightly lifting the stack of books for emphasis.

“I suppose you’d be more interested in ‘Hylian War and Strategy: A History’, if your arming sword says anything about your interests.” He suggested, glancing over the training blade at her side. Ashei puffed her cheeks out a bit in agitation, ready to defend herself, but was surprised when he simply took the book from the bottom of his stack and put it on top of hers.

“I’ve read the poor thing to death, so if you’d like it, you’re more than welcome to it.” He added with a shrug.

“Wait, you’re not gonna tell me that ‘swords are for boys’ or make fun of my clothes?” Ashei asked, extremely confused. He gave her an equally confused look.

“Why in heavens would I do that? Granted, I’m not really one for red, but-”

“No, no! I mean like ‘pants are for boys’.” Ashei explained, only to have the boy scoff in response.

“If you like pants, you like pants! Who am I to tell you otherwise? I quite like my clothes, and that’s all that should matter, so long as they adequately cover my person.” He replied, failing to see the smile that spread onto her face.

“THANK YOU! Ugh, FINALLY someone in this stupid town gets it!” Ashei exclaimed, startling the boy next to her a bit.

“You’re rather spirited, aren’t you?” he asked with a chuckle. Ashei blushed a little bit at her outburst and offered him a grin.

“Well, do you want a spirited knight or a lazy one?” Ashei asked, glad to see him laugh a little at that.

“A spirited one, for certain! Is that why you’re carrying a training blade?”

“Yup! My father’s training me in the ways of knighthood. He’s a knight, well… sorta. He got injured real bad before he was dubbed anything, so he’s not an official knight. But he’s a knight in his own right!” Ashei said, smiling as the boy’s face lit up.

“That’s stupendous! I wish you the best of luck! Though… from what I’ve seen, the Royal Guard has been switching over from arming swords to longswords. If you truly wish to pursue knighthood, I think you might want to start training with one of those as well.”

“You think? But arming swords are so versatile!”

“That may be, but from a production standpoint they’re very wasteful to produce. Certainly, they last longer, are more durable, and far more versatile than a longsword, but from an economic standpoint they don’t make sense for mass armament.” The boy explained, chuckling as Ashei cocked her head and tried to follow along with this argument.

“Kid, you sure talk a lot.” Ashei finally said, smiling when the boy outright laughed.

“It’s one of my faults, I know. Most of the other children want nothing to do with me because I’m either boring or scary.”

“Scary? What’s so scary about you?”

“Well… I know magic, for one. And father is training me in knife-based combat.”

“Wait, you know magic?! Like, fighting with fireballs and lightning magic?!” Ashei asked excitedly. The boys stumbled back a bit but recovered, growing used to her outbursts.

“My magic is nowhere near that level yet. I mostly use it in my artificer work. My mother trained me and taught me the basics, but it’s up to me to actually refine those skills now.”

“That’s awesome! Even if you can’t fight, you could make something to do the fighting for you!”

“That is true… but again, I’ve quite a ways to go before I’m _that_ good.”

“At least I’ve got a better idea as to why you’re so smart. You have to be to be an artificer!” Ashei said with a smile.

“You have to be smart as well, you know.”

“You think? I don’t think it takes that much thought to swing a sword.”

“Well, that’s because you’re used to it. There’s actually quite a bit of thought that goes into an attack: what’s the best approach, how hard should I swing, what sort of tactics should I use… they’re all questions that can take a lot of thought. But to you, they’re second nature.”

“Because I train!”

“And because you learn and retain that knowledge. To me, being a swordsman-any type of fighter, really-takes far more brain power than just fixing or improving things.” He finished, glancing over to Ashei. Ashei offered him a smile, which he gladly returned.

“Kid, I like you. You’re probably the only sane person in this whole town.” Ashei said, making him laugh.

“Or we could both just be insane.”

“Well, I wouldn’t mind being insane with you. You hungry? I can drop these books off with you and we can grab a bite to eat, if you want. I’ll pay.” Ashei offered, smirking when his face lit up with an earnest smile.

“I would love that! So long as I’m not imposing, of course.”

“Imposing? I’m the one asking here!” Ashei replied.

             Both of them looked to each other for a second before laughing at how unsure they were being. Once they’d calmed down a bit, the boy started walking with Ashei, side by side, down the street towards a little shop in companionable silence. Before they got to the door, the boy paused for a moment, looking to Ashei as though he’d forgotten something.

“Er, by the way… I don’t think I got your name?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah! Sorry, my manners aren’t the best. I’m kinda blunt, yeah? But the name’s Ashei. What’s yours?” Ashei asked, earning her a soft smile from the boy.

“Shad. I’m pleased to make your acquaintance! Now, shall we head?” Shad replied as he stepped on a pedal by the door, causing it to open for them.

“Oh, that is SO cool.” Ashei muttered as she followed Shad into the shop to drop off the books before heading out for a late lunch.

\-----

            Liam looked towards the setting sun in the distance, waiting on his daughter to arrive. The cart was hitched up and loaded down with the supplies he’d needed, and he’d discussed everything he’d needed to with Virgil. Together, they’d deduced that the leads were actually misinformation from a hunting party. He felt a bit bad to see his friend so dejected, but at the same time he was glad he’d saved him from a possibly dangerous mission.

            It wasn’t long before heard his daughter calling to him from the gate, accompanied by some young man her age. As they got closer, Liam smiled, recognizing the boy as Virgil’s son immediately. After all, that red hair and stubborn curl were very recognizable. Ashei turned to her new friend and pulled him into a friendly hug, smiling as she pulled away. The boy offered her a piece of paper with neat handwriting and a thick book.

“I-I’m not quite sure if the postman will run all the way up to Snowpeak, but if you’d like to continue our conversation via written correspondence, I’d be happy to oblige. And of course, the book we discussed earlier. Take as long as you please with it!” He said as Ashei took the paper and book.

“Thanks, Shad. And if you wanna be pen pals, all you had to do was ask! Besides, you still have to finish telling about these sky-being things, yeah?” Ashei asked as she climbed onto the cart to sit by her father.

“Not to mention you have to tell me more about this ‘crazy arm gauntlet’ idea of yours.” He replied with a chuckle.

“Definitely! I’m sure with enough practice you could pull off making it!”

“Only if you help with my knife training when you’re here!”

“Deal!” Ashei said, leaning down and shaking his hand.

“Well, I hate to interrupt, but I’m afraid we have to be going now, young man. I hope you make it home safely.” Liam said, offering the boy a gentle smile.

“Same to you, sir. Safe travels to you, and goodnight, Ashei!” he said before turning and running back to the gate, waving over his shoulder to Ashei.

            Ashei waved back to him until he was out of sight. Once he was, she lowered her arm and settled back into her seat, a content smile on her face. Liam glanced down to his daughter and smiled before snapping the reigns, urging their horse to start on the trek home. They traveled for a bit in comfortable silence before Liam looked over to his daughter. She had tucked the book under her arm for safety and was looking over the paper, as though she was already trying to memorize the address written there.

“So, you met someone today?” Liam asked, fixing his eyes back on the path.

“I met lots of someones today, most of them not so nice. A lot of them acted like they were better than me, but they wouldn’t even talk to me honestly! What’s up with that?” Ashei muttered as she crossed her arms. Liam glanced down to his daughter for a moment before looking back to the road.

“Some feel that they must raise themselves up by bringing others down, but don’t think you must stoop to their level. Be forthcoming and honest, and never be quick to judge. Do that, and I promise you’ll learn far more from life than they ever would.” Liam said, smirking when his daughter looked at him like he was insane.

“That _can’t_ be all there is to learning about life.”

“You’re right… but more of those lessons will come as you grow and learn.” Liam replied, laughing when his daughter gave him a playful shove.

“You and the cryptic teacher stuff…” Ashei grumbled playfully.

“At any rate, it seems like at least one of those someones you met was nice, yeah?” Liam tried, glad to see Ashei start to smile again.

 “Yeah! He’s a really nice kid… he’s really smart and sorta meek, but he’s pretty good with a dagger already!”

“You sparred with him?”

“For a little bit. He tired out pretty quick, but he almost got me plenty of times.”

“Well, I’m certainly glad you found someone to spend the day with! Did you find anything in town to buy?”

“Nah, I just got some lunch for me and Shad… but we had fun anyways.”

            Ashei was quiet for a moment, smiling softly as she thought back over the events of the day. Liam chuckled a bit and reached over to ruffle Ashei’s hair. Ashei giggled as he did so, letting him do it for a moment before swatting his hands away.

“Hey, father?”

“Yes?”

“Thanks for letting me go into town by myself today. At first I thought it was a waste of time… but I think I made a good friend today.” Ashei said softly, not seeing her father’s smile as he kept his eyes on the road ahead.

“Well, I certainly hope you keep in touch with him, then! Virgil’s boy is a sharp one and damn near as smart as him, too. It’d do you good to keep in touch!”

“Wait, THAT was the boy you were telling me about back at the stable?!”

“Yep. Virgil sent Shad out to wander around when I told him you weren’t coming this time. Look like Din had plans for you two to meet anyways, eh?”

“Well, I’m glad she did then… hey, father?”

“Yes?”

“The postman _does_ come to our house, right? Not just messenger hawks?” Ashei asked as they continued on their way.

             Liam only chuckled, knowing the ride home wasn’t going to be a very quiet one this time. But it wasn’t very often that his daughter was so talkative, so he was glad she’d had an experience she wanted to share with him. And most importantly, his daughter had made a friend… and that was one of the best things he could hope for her.

**Author's Note:**

> The postman does in fact run all the way up to Snowpeak. He just hates doing it with a passion because of... reasons. *cough*uniform*cough*


End file.
